Spicy Squash Soup
Really easy - bloody delicious - very few things in the world are more comforting on a cold winter’s evening…
Ingredients (for 4) - don’t make less than this, just save/freeze any leftovers (which may be less than you expect)
- fresh sage leaves (optional)
- 1 x chopped onion
- 1 x celery (optional - I hate the stuff, but will add to the flavour)
- 1 x chopped carrot
- 2 x chopped cloves garlic
- handful of rosemary
- red chilli (or dried chili flakes) - quantity is up to you, remove seeds to reduce heat
- 1kg squash (peeled and cubed)
- 1 litre stock (swiss vegetable bouillon)
Add some olive oil to a large pan at medium heat and fry the sage leaves for a few seconds until crispy. Set them to one side using slotted spoon. Gently fry onion, (celery), carrot, garlic, rosemary and chili with salt and pepper to prevent colouration until softened (about 10 minutes). Add cubes of squash and stock and simmer for about 1/2 hour.
Once the squash is cooked (soft) you can whizz the soup either using a hand blender or in a liquidiser/blender until smooth. Serve hot with a drizzle of virgin olive oil and the saved sage leaves.
You can add croutons if you’re feeling fancy - get some slices of ciabatta, add a little olive oil and press in some grated parmesan (make it stick). Fry without additional oil in a non-stick pan while waiting for the soup to cook.